And just like that, settlers in barangay Apas can thank the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for helping stave off the demolition after one of the agency’s officials found out that a minor was employed during this week’s dismantling of houses.
Senior labor officer Rusell Canete learned that a 17-year-old boy was employed by court sheriff Edilberto Suarin to help in the demolition of homes after the settlers failed to secure a temporary restraining order from the court.
The sheriff initially accepted Cañete’s invitation for a hearing but after a telephone conversation with (presumably) the lot owner, the court sheriff snubbed the meeting, prompting the DOLE order to suspend the demolition until Suarin gave his explanation to the allegation which was scheduled yesterday.
That the teenage boy was supposedly one of several caught stealing from the home of one of the displaced occupants made the demolition all the more bitter for every family bound to lose their home with no guarantee of a relocation site to start over anew.
It had yet to be determined if Suarin employed more than one minor during the demolition. There were 200 people hired for the unenviable task or smashing homes. Not all of them had ID cards.
Of that number, 24 people were allowed to resume the demolition after they presented ID cards.
Before that, any hope that the settlers could stave the demolition was dashed after the Mactan Cebu International Airport management, which used to occupy the lot, the location of Cebu’s first domestic airport, showed papers that bolstered the lot owner’s claim.
House owners were also vicitimized by the demolition crew, when some of the workers robbed them of belongings, some in front of their eyes.
The DOLE discovery not only spared the settlers but also perhaps gave some time for Cebu City Hall to work out a legal strategy that would allow the families to stay longer, at least until a suitable relocation site can be found for them.
Just like the continued occupation of indigent families of areas in Cebu City, the employment of minors is considered by the privileged few as a non-issue. In fact they consider themselves benevolent because they pay the minors to do their dirty work.
This won’t be the last time minors are conscripted to do dangerous tasks or the last time urban poor families are shoved of land.
The question is what is the government doing about it and why have they allowed the problem to fester over time?
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